Recent Developments

Abstract

New method improves aluminium production efficiency -- The British Aluminium Co. Ltd., London and Kaiser Aluminium and Chemical Corporation, Oakland, California announced recently the successful joint development of a modified type of aluminium reduction cell utilising refractory hard metals as essential elements. Cells with these new cathode materials offer the first basic alteration to the electrolytic reduction process, on which the world's aluminium industry has been founded, since it was invented 75 years ago. The two companies consider the development to be of major commercial signi-ficance, because it can substantially reduce production cost per pound of aluminium and also permit expansion of the capacity of existing facilities with relatively small capital expenditure.